SIS Top 10 Key Points on caffeine

Caffeine is one of the most widely used stimulants in the world and is well established as an ergogenic aid,meaning it can help to improve performance in endurance and sprint exercise.

It affects all systems of the body. Some breakdown occurs at the liver and

the remaining by-products are excreted in the urine.

It is consumed in everyday life through coffee, tea, soft drinks & chocolate. High levels are found in some caffeinated soft drinks and caffeine tablets.

A strong research base supports the enhancement of athletic performance in endurance exercise.

3-9 mg of caffeine per kilo of body mass can impact performance. Typically to see a benefit for endurance performance around 5mg/kg/BM is required. For a 70kg athlete this would equate to 300mg, or four SiS GO+Caffeine gels.

It can take up to 60 minutes to reach peak concentrations in the blood stream. For events lasting 1-2 hours the caffeine dose should be taken an hour before the start. In longer duration events you should save taking the caffeine for the last 2 hours to aid with fatigue.

One of the theories as to how caffeine works to delay fatigue is that it causes sparing of stores for when they are most needed towards the end of an event.

In recent years the theory that the brain as the “governor of fatigue” has developed. This suggests that caffeine helps to tackle fatigue by having an action on the central nervous system, lowering the perception of effort, allowing you to keep going at the same pace for longer, or being able to increase your pace as you’re perceiving the effort to be less

Excessive caffeine intake can have a negative effect on performance. Intakes above 6 mg/kg body mass can lead to an increased heart rate, feelings of nervousness, nausea and anxiety. Visual processing is also affected at these levels, which may effect fine motor skills and perception.

At rest caffeine is known to have a diuretic effect, meaning it stimulates the kidneys to produce more urine. However during exercise this effect is not seen so should not contribute to dehydration.

Caffeine in the form of a gel, drink or effervescent tablet is highly practical for events.